Topic: A330neo

Bjorn Kjos, chief executive of an airline that had a nightmare experience with its first two 787s last year, could now moonlight as a salesman for the Dreamliner.

Bjorn Kjos, CEO of Norwegian, with his Skytrax award at Farnborough

Norwegian Air, his new international low-cost carrier, now has a fleet of seven Dreamliners that he’s flying on very long routes such as London to Bangkok and back. With minimal down time at each end, that’s up to 18 hours flying in a day.

“The Dreamliner is the first airplane built to fly such high utilization. It’s performing to it,” said Kjos. “It’s going better and better actually.”

As expected, the European jetmaker launched a new model of its A330 mid-size widebody jet, the A330neo. Predictably, sales chief John Leahy made confident claims that it will best Boeing’s 787 Dreamliner.

On the eve of the Farnborough Air Show in London, Boeing Commercial Airplanes chief Ray Conner announced a new high-density version of the forthcoming 737 MAX family, something long requested by leading 737 customer Ryanair.

He also talked down the threat from the expected announcement by Airbus Monday that it will launch an update of its A330 mid-size twinjet with new fuel-efficient engines.

And Conner flatly rejected any compromise in the current political controversy over the U.S. Export-Import Bank.

When the Farnborough Air Show opens Monday, “The eyes of the aviation world are on Airbus,” said Richard Aboulafia.

The European jetmaker is building airplanes at record rates and has been executing its new programs brilliantly. Unlike the 787, its A350 is on schedule. And it just rolled out its first narrowbody A320neo, at least a year ahead of Boeing’s 737 MAX.

Still, in London its executives face nagging decisions about their future widebody jet strategy.